I love the ocean. I enjoy the smell of the ocean, the song of the seagulls, and the sound of waves crashing upon the shore. Nothing feeds my soul like the ocean. Last week it was still warm so I went to the beach. I watched one...
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How would you answer this question? Why is parenting your teenage daughter so challenging? Is it your daughter's attitude, defiance, rebellion, mood swings, and rude behavior? Is it her not obeying you or procrastinating? Is it her walling off in her room and not communicating? Yes, all of these things...
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My family loves to tell stories. One of my favorites is when my sister was 13. My dad, sister, and I were down at Memorial Park in Houston. We had hiked down to Buffalo Bayou. The bayou is brown and murky and God knows what...
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Is your happiness dependent on your teen's happiness? Here's why I asked you this question. Last week a mom told me with a big smile on her face, "I guess it's time to go back to my recovery meeting," I asked her, "Why?" She told me that...
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Sometimes the answer is no. It has to be, if we are going to protect our daughters. This is not the fun part of being a parent. There she is standing in front of you in her mature grown up body. She tells you, she can handle...
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Can your daughter relax at your house? Is your teen comfortable with having friends over? Do you like being in your home? If you answered yes you have a thriving home environment. A thriving home environment is key to having a happy, healthy, and productive home. What is...
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I remember when I was 8 months pregnant when an acquaintance came up me and said, Is this your first? I said, "YES" in a happy voice. With a smirky grin she said, "You just wait!!!!!!!!!" Several years ago someone asked me how old my daughter was and...
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I live in Texas. Everyone in Texas rides a horse, right? (Well, maybe not in Houston.) One weekend I was visiting my sister in Austin. We went to see some friends who lived outside of Austin who had four horses on several acres of land. Her...
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We call it multi-tasking. Women pride themselves for being able to do a million things at once. Here's my question. How's it working for you? My guess is that it's not working that well. Something is going to be compromised. It's not just that we are doing several...
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It can drive you nuts. There she is lying on the sofa being a couch potato while you are running around trying to get your work done. Summer, for lots of moms is more work when the kids are at home. We don't want our kids...
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"How do I get my daughter to listen to me?" This is the big question for moms of teens. It seems so easy right? You tell your daughter what seems reasonable and you want her to listen to you. But actually we want more. We want...
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I feel like I had the best dad in the world. I knew he wasn't perfect but he never pretended to be. He gave me so many gifts growing up and was my rock through my turbulent teenage years. The most invaluable gift he gave me...
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Tips for reducing the drama and increasing the fun with your teen this summer: A Q&A with Colleen O'Grady When you are the parent of a teen, the fantasy of summer break includes both laughs shared in the sunshine and industrious kids getting work done. Often, reality is...
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Last week Sara came to see me in my private practice. Sara had that spaced out, frazzled look. She said, "I want my life back. It's only the first week of summer and I'm ready for school to start." Sara really didn't want school to start,...
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All moms experience weariness. The reason being is that we are fighting the good fight for our family. We give and give and give. And often we don't spend the necessary time replenishing all that we pour out onto those we care about. Often, this...
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If I were to ask you, "How much do you feel appreciated on a scale of 1 to 10 by your kids, husband, partner, friends, family, or work?" What would you say? I have talked to plenty of moms who feel they were appreciated at...
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Take the 12-day challenge! I want you to feel good for Mother's Day. This is my gift to you. ...
Read MoreEvery mom wants to see her teen making progress. You hope to witness your teen moving forward and progressing in their academics, creativity, relationships, responsibility, and maturity. This yearning is instinctual in moms and feels like it is written in our DNA. Because this feeling is so...
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Teenage girls live in the selfie generation. It's what teen girls do. So what's up with all these selfies? Parents can be baffled by the frequency of their daughter's selfies. When we were teens we also loved getting our pictures taken but it wasn't all the...
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Defining success is tricky, especially when it comes to your teenager. Would you say your teen is successful? Would you say your teen was successful? These are uncomfortable questions for both you and your teen. Here's why. This culture defines success in terms of ranking from the...
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